Features

The 2020 goal for EU member states to supply 20% of their energy needs from renewables is a mighty one. If that target is to be met the proportion of electricity to be generated from renewables will be in the region of 35%. For the UK, with the EU’s largest share of wind and marine resources, that target is ambitious but achievable. As part of that 35% mix we will need around 12GW of installed onshore wind and around 20GW of installed offshore wind generation.

In the past few years there has been a huge increase in the awareness of problems posed by invasive ‘alien’ plants. MATT MONTGOMERY of The LK Group takes a look at the issue.

Invasive plants are usually non-native or ‘alien’ plants that cause, or have the potential to cause, harm to the environment, economies, or human health. Invasive plants are said by some to be one of the most significant drivers of environmental change worldwide. They may contribute to social instability and economic hardship, placing constraints on sustainable development, economic growth and environmental conservation.

The UK housebuilding industry is in a bit of an eco-frenzy. Almost from nowhere, it seems, the global warming agenda has appeared, and the race is on to design and build the UK’s first commercially viable and technically robust zero carbon homes.

by MARGARET CATLEY-CARLSON, chair of the Global Water Partnership (Stockholm, Sweden) and member of the Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water

Human behaviour everywhere has had an impact on the quality and quantity of our planet’s water. Water issues now threaten the quality of our lives. We see TV images of drought where rains fail, wells dry up, crops wither and die, lands erode and soil blows away, while European countries experience unprecedented flooding.